Friday, June 06, 2014

For those roaming the country or world at some point this Summer, if you look to find free wi-fi, here are some tips courtesy of the New York Times to make sure your data/identity is not compromised or stolen.

Thursday, June 05, 2014

Wikipedia has become for many the first, and often
the only, stop in their online research. Although the site has been criticized
for its level of accuracy in non-technical areas, it has often received praise
for its reliability in the realms of science and technology.

A new study, however, calls even this reliability into question. In the study, researchers across the United States examined Wikipedia articles for ten of the most costly medical conditions in the U.S., including osteoarthritis, back pain, diabetes, and asthma. They printed the articles for analysis, and discovered that 90% of the entries contained statements that contradict the most up-to-date medical research.

Moral of the story: Careful researchers, including legal ones, always
critically evaluate their sources, and especially crowd-sourced ones, such as
Wikipedia.

Wednesday, June 04, 2014

"When the Legislative Reference Service (LRS) was established in the
Library of Congress in 1914, the small staff provided what its name
conveyed—reference information to assist Members of Congress in their
legislative work. Over 100 years, LRS evolved into today’s Congressional
Research Service (CRS), a staff of 600 that exclusively provides
Congress with nonpartisan policy analysis."

Tuesday, June 03, 2014

Hofstra Law Library hosts free and open access to Hofstra Law School's law journals: the Hofstra Law Review, the Journal of International Business and Law, and the Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal, as well as the now defunct law student newspaper, Conscience. Along with PDF collections of these publications, you will find Hofstra's special collections, including pictures and documents from the Eric J. Schmertz collection, and Hofstra's faculty publications.

Visit our Hofstra Scholarly Commons here, and while there, be sure to view the "Most Popular Papers" and the "Paper of the Day."

Monday, June 02, 2014

If you don’t have a passcode
on your smart phone or tablet, set one today

Recent news reports have
revealed some owners of iPhones and iPads can be locked out of their devices –
permanently – by remote hackers.

Australian hackers recently
compromised the Apple iCloud accounts of hundreds of Mac, iPhone and iPad
users. Once logged in to a compromised iCloud account, the hackers have changed
the account password, and utilized the Find My iPhone feature of the service to
send remote lock commands to any devices connected to the account. As a result,
a message appears demanding a ransom in exchange for unlocking the device.

·An affected user with a passcode set can simply enter that
passcode to bypass the lock and regain access to the device.

There are steps you can take
to protect your device, your data, and yourself.

By taking advantage of the
built-in security protections afforded by setting a passcode, you can protect
your mobile device from being compromised by malicious persons or groups. A
passcode doesn’t just allow you to bypass an unauthorized device lock, as in
the example above. It also enables encryption, keeping your data safe and
secure in the event your device is lost or stolen.

Many of
the attributes that make mobile devices great technology companions also make
them easy targets for thieves and hackers. We’ve put together a guide
that describes a few key actions – including setting a passcode – that you can
take to ensure your data remains protected. (http://www.hofstra.edu/About/IT/HelpDesk/helpdesk_travel_mobile.html)​

The opinions expressed herein are solely the opinions of the individual authors. Users acknowledge that Hofstra does not pre-screen or regularly review posted content,but that it shall have the right to remove in its sole discretion any content that itconsiders to violate the bounds of civility or any Hofstra student codes of conduct.